HEALTH CARE NOTEBOOK: State sees big rise in Rx to block HIV | Grant to address state baby deaths

State sees big rise in Rx to block HIV

Arkansas was among five states and territories with the largest increases in use of pre-exposure prophylaxis medication to prevent HIV, known as PrEP, between 2018 and 2019, new data show.

Statistics compiled by AIDSVu, a research and data-mapping group based at Emory University in Atlanta, show that PrEP use increased in Arkansas by 35% between the two years studied.

Wyoming, Florida, Montana and Puerto Rico had larger increases in usage, with Puerto Rico increasing its number of people using PrEP by 64%.

Men, however, still made up the vast majority of PrEP users -- 93% -- in 2019, the analysis found. That's similar to previous years.

Also like previous years, the South lagged behind the Northeast in terms of PrEP use. There were four PrEP users for every new HIV diagnosis in the South as compared with 11 in the Northeast.

Improving access to PrEP medications is included in several goals of a vast federal initiative that aims to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. by 2030.

Arkansas is among seven rural states with HIV burdens that are a special focus of that umbrella initiative. Former President Donald Trump announced the program and its goals in 2019.

Grant to address state baby deaths

Researchers at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University have received a grant for work that aims to address infant mortality in the state, the school announced last week.

Dr. Christine Hartford and co-investigator Jennifer Conner received a $10,000 award from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Both are members of the Jonesboro school's faculty.

The Community Access to Child Health grant will help the team address rural mothers' and babies' health by hosting group prenatal visits in the state's Delta, a news release said.

"Infant mortality rates in Arkansas are among the highest in the nation, and the Delta has the highest rates of any region in our country, making this one of the most pressing child healthcare issues in our part of the state," Hartford said in a statement.

"Community outreach programs can lead to significant change and improve health outcomes, and that's exactly what we aim to accomplish through this project."

The project will educate parents on subjects such as breastfeeding, safe sleep, postpartum depression and vaccines, among other topics.

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